Portable buffer.



W. C. STEVENS.

PORTABLE BUFFER.

APPLICATION FILED DEO.14,1912.

1,1 12,865. Patented 0ct. 6, 11914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

\ mmmllm W. C. STEVENS.

PORTABLE BUFFER.

APPLICATION FILED DEG.14,1912.

Patented Oct. 6

2 SHIIETS-SHEIJT 2,

ED STA TE run..

WILLEJAM C. STEVENS, 0F AKRON, OHIO, ASSIGNOR- TO THE FIRESTONE TIRE & RUBBER "PANY, OF AQKRON, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

PORTABLE BUFFER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed December 14!, 1912. Serial No. 736,730.

inner layers of rubberimpregnated fabric are built up and a layer of rubber superposed 'tla rcon. it is usual toroughen or hail the surraee of such rubber layer before applying thereto the breaker-"strip of fabric which to separate the underlying layers Eronrthc outer wear layer or tread, such roughening serving to, cause a more intimate adhesion or union of the two layers. Heretot'ore it has been usual to buli' the tire at this stage of manufacture by the manual use of an ahradiug tool, such a coarse raup, a tedious and costly operation. By my invention. on the contrary. the bufling is: 1nechani- Cally done at a great saving of time and a consequent increase. of capacity of the plant whereby the cost of manufacture is consider ably reduced and the uniform cxeelleure of the work enhanced. My invention also prorides a portable machine of this character adapted to be ruulily brought into position for use upon the tire while upon the forming' core and without removal liroui the frame or spider upon which it is supported during the steps of inanufactiu'e preceding and following the batting operation.

In order that the invention and the manner of its use may be readily understooih 1 have in the accompanying drawings illustinted a preferred embodiment. of the same whereiin Figure. 'l a side elevation of the machine. shown in o 'ierative relation to a tire; and Fig. is a rear elevation of the same.

The machine as illustrated and harming the. basis oi": a detailed description comprises a. hase. l'l. supported at one end upon a pair of wheels iii. '12 and at the opposite end upon a foot l3 alter the manner of a. truck. Upon the has: above the wheels 12 is mounted a motor 'll driving h means at a pinion U" the drive gear 1o mounted upon the drive shaft '17 which is jourinilial in a-pedestal 18 provided. in its upper portion with a swivel plate 19. Supported by the pedestallS is a yoke 20 having its lower connecting portion formed as a swivel plate 21 overlying and cooperating with the swivel plate 19. The two swivel plates are bored to serve as hearings for the shaft 22 which carries a air of miter gears and 2t, the. shaft 22 also serving, as a swivel pin about which the swivel plates 1!) and 31 may turn. The miter rear is in mesh with a similar gear 25 fixed upon the drive shaft 11? while the 'niiter gear 24 is in mesh with a similar gear 26 tired upon a shaft which is journaled in the yoke 20 and carries a sprocket 27.

A collar 28 is mounted between the two arms of the yoke. 20 and ineloses the shaft 2-7, the collar 28 having upstanding therefrom an arm 29 bifurcated in its upper portion. In the branches 30. 30 of said arm is jourualcd a buffer shaft 31 and upon the shaft 31 is fixed a bullionroller 32 of spool shape, the surface thereof being longitudinally eoncave and roughened to present. as indicated at 32* an ahradine surface. sprocket 34 is likewise fixed upon the shaft 31 between the branches 30. 30 and a s 'irocket chain 35 trav erses the sprockets 27 and 3% as a driving medium. Handles 36. 36 are earriedhv the branches 30 by means of which the buffer is manipulated. At the lower portion of the, arm 9%) the said arm is provided with an angular lateral projection 37 apertured at 38, and the swivel plate 2.1 is likewise provided with a slotted l'll'OjOCilOli 39 underly ing the. projection 37. A. connecting pin 40 having a T-head 4-1 is mounted within the slot and aperture of the two projections with its head :l-l underlying the projection 39 and with its upper portion extendiue' above the projection 37. A spacing sleeve 42 is threaded upon the pin it) between the two projections while a compressionspring l l is disposed upon the upper end of the pin above the projection 37, the lower end ol'the spring bearing upon the said projimtion and the upper end of the/spring bearing upon a,

washer l l held in. adjusted position upon the pin by lllQlil'lm' of a) nut 4-5. It will he seen that the spring 43 hearing: downwardly upon the projection 37 of the' arm 29 tends to swing the arm and hulline roller to the right as shown in Fig.1, while the function of the spacing slecvoiZ is to serve as a stop prcventing the spring from swinging the arm beyond a vertical position.

The operation is as follows: The device may be readily moved upon the wheels 12 into operative relation to the tire 46 mounted upon the spider 47, the foot 13 being dropped into contact with the floor after the device has been wheeled into such position that the buffing roller bears against the periphery of the tire with sufficient force to compress the spring 43 and bring the swinging arm 29 sufficiently out of the vertical to maintain a yielding pressure of the roller against the tire under the influence of the spring, as indicated in Fig. 1. The foot 13 resting upon the floor serves as a brake to prevent the further movement of the Wheels so that the position of the device with reference to the tire is maintained. The motor having been started the bufiing roller is rapidly revolved by means of the interposed transmission media and the spider 47 being likewise in rcation the buiiingroller travels-progressively over the tire periphery roughening the same by the action of its'abrading' surface. The operator grasping the handles 38, is enabled to control the yielding pressure exerted by the spring 43 andv can also rotate the arm 29 upon its longitudinal axis about the swivel pin 22 so as to bring the roller to bear not only upon the extreme periphery of the tire "butalso around the side face of the same to such an extent as may be desired. lVhen the operation is completcd'the device may be thrown out of action by stopping the 'motor or by grasping the machine frame and moving the same backward to bring the roller outvof engagement with the tire.

It will thus be seen that I provide a, selfcontained motor driven bailing machine which is readily transportable from place to place, and as readily retained temporarily in theplace of use, said machine arranged to exert sustainedyielding pressure of the bufling roller upon the tire and at the same time completely under the control of the operator to vary the pressure and to bring the roller to bear upon ditferent portions of the tire face. It will be readily apparent also that while I have 50 shown with a considerable degree of particularity features of conr-rtruction entering into the preferred embodiment of the invention, such constructional features are.subject tomodification within a'wide range without departure from the essence of the invention and he sacrifice of its material advantages.

I claim: 1

1. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a base, a motor mounted shat't andthe roller, yielding the pedestal and pivoted to swing in a.

-\'ertical plane, a bulfiug roller carried by the arm, a driving connection between the motor and the roller, the arm provided with a lateral projection, a spring connection between the projection and a fixed portion of the device tending to swing the arm to press the roller against the tire, and a bandle carried by the arm whereby. to control the action of the spring and the movement of the arm about its swivel connection, substantially as described.

2. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a base, a motor mounted thereon a pedestal mounted upon the base,a drive shaft journalcd in the pedestal, a yoke,

a transmission shaft. jonrnaled ingtlie yoke, a

shaft forming a swivel connection between the pedestal and yoke, interineshing' gears carried by the three shaftsadriving connection between the drive shaft and motor, an arm'pivotcd in the yoke for movement in a vertical plane, a roller carried by the arm and having an abrading surface, a driving connection between the transmission means tend ing to swing the arm to cause the roller to bear upon the tire, and manually operable means to control the swinging; of the arm and to turn the same upon its swivel connection, substantially as described.

3. Ina machine of the character described, the combination of a base, a motor mounted thereon, a pedestal mountcd upou the base, a drive Sl'ltllbjOlllIltllGCl in the pedestal, a yoke, a transmission shaft jonrnaled in the yoke, a shaft forming a swivel connection between the pedestal and yoke, intermeshin o; gears carried by the three shafts, a

driving. connection between the drive shaft and motor, an arm pivoted in the yoke for movement in a vertical plane, a roller carried by the arm and having: surface, a driving connection between the transmis ion shaft and the roller. the arm and yoke having laterally extending projections, a spring connecting; said projections and tending" to swine the arm to press the roller against the tire. and a handle carried by the arm whereby to control the action of the spring and to turn the arm about its vertical axis upon its swivel c 0nncrtion, substantially as described.

llllililAM C. SilEVENS.

Witnesses: V

llowlme J. Anins, A. G. PAR'IRKDGE.

an abrading. 

